Bethlehem Catholic’s girls’ basketball team won its fourth consecutive District XI Class 4A title after defeating Jim Thorpe, 48-31, on Saturday at Easton Area Middle School.

“Anytime you can do anything four years says a lot about the players, the coaches, the parents,” said Becahi coach Jose Medina. “It was a great celebration for our kids and the program.”

The Hawks took immediate control of the game with a 15-4 lead over Jim Thorpe by the end of the first quarter, but both teams were held to four and three points, respectively, in the second quarter.

“Our commitment is at the defensive end, so you sometimes sacrifice the other,” Medina said. “The energy and passion are there, but we’ll always err on the side of the defensive effort.”

At halftime, Medina took the opportunity to urge the Hawks to get the ball out quicker and to beat the Olympians’ zone down the floor.

Becahi led 38-16 by the end of the third quarter.

“We start to wear teams down, and their girls are getting tired,” said Medina, also noting the Hawks’ depth.

Becahi used its depth to its advantage in last Wednesday’s District XI Class 4A girls’ basketball semifinal against Allentown Central Catholic, which was a defensive game for most of the first half in the Hawks’ 39-26 victory over the Vikettes at Whitehall High School.

Becahi guard Taliyah Medina started the third quarter the way she ended the second, working her way on the inside to get the points the Hawks so desperately needed.

“It was crazy. Our shots weren’t really falling in the first half, so Coach Arnold told me if the shots aren’t falling, those are opportunities for offensive rebounds, and that’s kind of what sparked everything,” Medina said.

Then, in the third quarter, O’neviah Scott and Cydney Stanton came off the Becahi bench, scoring 10 points between them throughout the game.

“We knew Central likes to take the air out of the basketball and keep the game close, so we knew we had to disrupt and put pressure on them,” said Medina. “They’re a really good defensive team, but we knew we had to try and create those steals to get those shot opportunities to run the score up.”

Central’s only lead came in the first half when Hanna Hoening hit a three pointer to give the Vikettes a four point lead.

Madalyn Szoke scored four consecutive points for Central with 1:45 remaining in the game, but for the Vikettes, it was too little, too late.

Medina was Becahi’s top scorer and Julia Roth was Central’s top scorer with 12 points apiece.

“It feels really good,” Medina said. “It shows a lot about a team to be there four years in a row.”